WASHINGTON: A US Congressional panel’s hearing on religious freedom in India came under fire from some of its own members on Friday. They called it an attempt to influence elections in India, even as Hindu activists in the US said the partisan event was aimed at undermining the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. The hearing by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC), named after a late Congressman whose holocaust survival resulted in a lifelong devotion to human rights, was deliberately timed to impact the election, US lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard, a self-described Hindu-American, told the panel, after a Hindu activist group complained the panel had packed the hearing with witnesses who have an ”ulterior motive.” “I do not believe the timing of this hearing is a coincidence. The national elections in India begin on Monday and continue until May 12. I am concerned that the goal of this hearing is to influence the outcome of India’s national elections, which is not an appropriate role for the US Congress. Such interference with India’s elections would undermine our shared goals,” Gabbard, a Democrat from US President Obama’s home state of Hawaii, told the panel. “We need to be especially careful not to directly or indirectly contribute to sectarian strife in India or other countries. I am concerned that this hearing is an attempt to foment fear and loathing purely for political purposes. This is wrong and it will contribute to further sectarian division in India and will undermine national interests of the US,” Gabbard added, in withering criticism of the hearing. “Any attempt by the United States to have an effect on the Indian elections will backfire,” Gabbard’s senior colleague Brad Sherman cautioned while questioning panelists. Leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) echoed similar concerns, noting the ”unbalanced” panel of four witnesses, all of whom expressed concern over the prospective election of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Narendra Modi, as Prime Minister. A witness that would have offered a Hindu perspective to ground realities and the multi-dimensional nature of inter-religious tensions in India was not included, despite requests by some members of the TLHRC, the foundation said. READ MORE @ hinduhumanrights.info/us-rights-panel-under-fire-for-influencing-indian-election/
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 14:30:15 +0000
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